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ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Stemona tuberosa alkaloids （STA） on apoptosis and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） and c-Jun N-terminal kinase/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （JNK/p38 MAPK） signaling pathways in human lung cancer A549 cells. MethodA549 cells were classified into blank group and STA groups （100， 150， 200， 250， 300 mg⋅L-1）. Thiazole blue （MTT） assay and colony formation assay were used to evaluate the proliferation of A549 cells. Apoptosis was observed based on Hoechst 33258 staining， flow cytometry， and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. Western blot was employed to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 （Caspase-3）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax）， and Bcl-2， and the expression of PI3K， phosphorylated （p）-PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， JNK， p-JNK， p38 MAPK， and p-p38 MAPK. ResultCompared with the blank group， STA groups （150， 200， 250， 300 mg⋅L-1） demonstrated the increase in inhibition rate of cell proliferation （P<0.01） and cell clone inhibition rate， and decrease in cell clone formation rate （P<0.01）. In comparison with the blank group， STA groups showed typical characteristics of apoptosis， such as chromatin condensation and enhanced fluorescence reaction. The apoptosis rate of STA groups was significantly higher than that of the blank group （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， STA （150， 200， 250， 300 mg⋅L-1） significantly up-regulated the protein expression of Caspase-3 and Bax （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 protein （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， STA had no significant influence on the total protein expression of PI3K， Akt， JNK， and p38 MAPK. However， STA （150， 200， 250， 300 mg⋅L-1） significantly decreased the levels of p-PI3K and p-Akt （P<0.05， P<0.01） and increased the level of p-p38 MAPK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， STA （200， 250， 300 mg⋅L-1） significantly raised the level of p-JNK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSTA can inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of A549 cells by inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and activating JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway.
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@#Objective To explore the feasibility of early chest tube removal following single-direction uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (S-UVATS) anatomical lobectomy. Methods The clinical data of consecutive VATS lobectomy by different surgeons in Xuzhou Central Hospital between May 2019 and February 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Finally, the data of 1 084 patients were selected for analysis, including 538 males and 546 females, with a mean age of 61.0±10.1 years. These patients were divided into a S-UVATS group with 558 patients and a conventional group (C-UVATS) with 526 patients according to the surgical procedures. The perioperative parameters such as operation time, blood loss were recorded. In addition, we assessed the amount of residual pleural effusion and the probability of secondary thoracentesis when taking 300 mL/d and 450 mL/d as the threshold of chest tube removal. Results Tumor-negative surgical margin was achieved without mortality in this cohort. As compared with the C-UVATS group, patients in the S-UVATS group demonstrated significantly shorter operation time (P<0.001), less blood loss (P=0.002), lower rate of conversion to multiple-port VATS or thoracotomy (P=0.003), but more stations and numbers of dissected lymph nodes as well as less suture staplers (P<0.001). Moreover, patients in the S-UVATS demonstrated shorter chest tube duration, less total volume of thoracic drainage and shorter postoperative hospital stay, with statistical differences (P<0.001). After excluding patients of chylothorax and prolonged air leaks>7 d, subgroup analysis was performed. First, assuming that 300 mL/d was the threshold for chest tube removal, as compared with the C-UVATS group, patients in the S-UVATS group would report less residual pleural effusion and less necessitating second thoracentesis with residual pleural effusion>500 mL (P<0.05). Second, assuming that 450 mL/d was the threshold for chest tube removal, as compared with the C-UVATS group, the S-UVATS group would also report less residual pleural effusion and less necessitating second thoracentesis with residual pleural effusion>500 mL (P<0.05). Further multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that S-UVATS was significantly negatively related to drainage volume>1 000 mL (P<0.05); whereas combined lobectomy, longer operation time, more blood loss and air leakage were independent risk factors correlated with drainage volume>1 000 mL following UVATS lobectomy (P<0.05). Conclusion The short-term efficacy of S-UVATS lobectomy is significantly better than that of the conventional group, indicating shorter operation time and less chest drainage. However, early chest tube removal with a high threshold of thoracic drainage volume probably increases the risk of secondary thoracentesis due to residual pleural effusion.
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Objective: To investigate the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and preterm birth subtypes. Methods: Based on the cohort of pregnant women in Anqing Prefectural Hospital, the pregnant women who received prenatal screening in the first or second trimesters were recruited into baseline cohorts; and followed up for them was conducted until delivery, and the information about their pregnancy status and outcomes were obtained through electronic medical record system and questionnaire surveys. The log-binomial regression model was used to explore the association between GDM and preterm birth [iatrogenic preterm birth, spontaneous preterm birth (preterm premature rupture of membranes and preterm labor)]. For multiple confounding factors, the propensity score correction model was used to compute the adjusted association. Results: Among the 2 031 pregnant women with a singleton delivery, the incidence of GDM and preterm birth were 10.0% (204 cases) and 4.4% (90 cases) respectively. The proportions of iatrogenic preterm birth and spontaneous preterm birth in the GDM group (n=204) were 1.5% and 5.9% respectively, while the proportions in non-GDM group (n=1 827) were 0.9% and 3.2% respectively, and the difference in the proportion of spontaneous preterm birth between the two groups was significant (P=0.048). Subtypes of spontaneous preterm were further analyzed, and the results showed that the proportions of preterm premature rupture of membranes and preterm labor in the GDM group were 4.9% and 1.0% respectively, while the proportions in the non-GDM group were 2.1% and 1.1% respectively. It showed that the risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes in GDM pregnant women was 2.34 times (aRR=2.34, 95%CI: 1.16-4.69) higher than that in non-GDM pregnant women. Conclusions: Our results showed that GDM might increase the risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes. No significant increase in the proportion of preterm labor in pregnant women with GDM was found.
Subject(s)
Infant, Newborn , Female , Pregnancy , Humans , Premature Birth , Diabetes, Gestational , Obstetric Labor, Premature , Hospitals , Iatrogenic DiseaseABSTRACT
Measurement bias (MB) has been described in causal structures but is still not entirely clear. In practice, the correctness of substitution estimate (SE) of effect is a prerequisite for causal inference, usually based on a bidirectionally non-differential misclassification between the measured exposure and the measured outcome. Based on a directed acyclic graph (DAG), this paper proposes a structure for the single-variable measure, where its MB is derived from the choice of an imperfect, "input/output device-like" measurement system. The MB of the SE is influenced both by the measurement system itself and by factors outside the measurement system: while the independence or dependence mechanism of the measurement system still ensures that the MB of the SE is bidirectionally non-differential; however, the misclassification can be bidirectionally non-differential, unidirectionally differential, or bidirectionally differential resulted from the factors outside the measurement system. In addition, reverse causality should be defined at the level of measurement, where measured exposures can influence measured outcomes and vice versa. Combined with temporal relationships, DAGs help elucidate MB's structures, mechanisms, and directionality.
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Humans , Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic , Data Interpretation, Statistical , Bias , CausalityABSTRACT
Tongxie Yaofang， also known as Baizhu Shaoyaosan， was first recorded in Danxi's Experiential Therapy （《丹溪心法》） by ZHU Danxi in the Yuan dynasty. It is composed of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium， and Saposhnikoviae Radix， and serves as the representative prescription for the treatment of painful diarrhea. It has the functions of tonifying the spleen， emolliating the liver， relieving pain， and checking diarrhea， and is mainly used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome （IBS） and ulcerative colitis （UC）. In addition， it is effective in treating gastrointestinal disorders with mental and psychological abnormalities， as well as obstinate anorexia in children， depression syndrome， and respiratory diseases. Experimental research and clinical practice have shown that Tongxie Yaofang has multi-component， multi-pathway， and multi-target characteristics in the treatment of diseases. The mechanism of Tongxie Yaofang in treating diseases is mainly attributed to anti-inflammation， immune function regulation， intestinal hypersensitivity improvement， emotion regulation， etc. Monoterpene glycosides， flavonoids， chromones， lactones， and other components contained play an important therapeutic role. The research on the systems biology of Tongxie Yaofang， such as metabolomics， proteomics， and network pharmacology， provides a scientific basis for clarifying its mechanism of action and expanding its clinical application. However， there are still some problems to be solved， such as difficulty in combining diseases and syndromes and lack of in-depth systematic research. Through the retrieval and collation of relevant literature， this paper systematically reviewed the material basis， pharmacological effects， and systems biology research of Tongxie Yaofang， aiming to lay a foundation for in-depth research on its mechanism in treating diseases and rational application in clinical practice.
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To optimize the extraction process of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma herb pair by network pharmacology combined with analytic hierarchy process(AHP)-entropy weight method and multi-index orthogonal test. The potential active components and targets of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma were screened by network pharmacology and molecular docking, and the process evaluation indexes were determined with reference to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). The core components of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma were determined as gastrodin, parishin B, parishin C, parishin E, ferulic acid, and 3-butylphthalide. With the extraction volume of each indicator and yield of dry extract as comprehensive evaluation indicators, the extraction conditions were optimized by the AHP-entropy weight method and orthogonal test as the ethanol volume of 50%, the solid-liquid ratio of 1∶8(g·mL~(-1)), extraction for three times, and 1.5 h each time. Through network pharmacology and molecular docking, the process evaluation index was determined, and the optimized process was stable and reproducible for the extraction of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Gastrodiae Rhizoma herb pair, which could provide reference for in-depth research.
Subject(s)
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Network Pharmacology , Molecular Docking Simulation , RhizomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the diagnostic efficacy of seven glomerular filtration rate (GFR) evaluation formulas Schwartz2009, Schwartz1976, Counahan-Barratt, Filler, CKD-EPIscysc, Cockrofi-Gault, CKD-EPIScysC-Scr in high concentration of methotrexate (HDMTX) chemotherapy dose adjusted cut-off point (GFR ≤85 ml/min) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#One hundred and twenty-four children with ALL were included in the study. GFR determined by renal dynamic imaging (sGFR) was used as the standard to evaluate the accuracy, consistency of eGFR calculated by seven formulas and sGFR, and the diagnostic efficacy of each formula when the sGFR ≤85 ml/min boundary.@*RESULTS@#All of the accuracy of eGFR estimated by Schwartz2009 were greater than 70% in the 0-3, >4 and ≤6, >6 and ≤9, >9 and ≤16 years old group and male group, and the consistency exceeded the professional threshold. When the sensitivity of the ROC curve sGFR ≤85 ml/min was 100% of CKD-EPIscysc in the 0-3, >3 and ≤4 years old group, Filler in the >3 and ≤4 years old group, and Cockrofi-Gault in the >6 and ≤9 years old group, the specificity was 73.02%, 78.95%, 78.95%, 69.32%, respectively, and the AUC under the ROC curve was the largest (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Schwartz2009 formula predicts the highest accuracy of eGFR in the 7 glomerular filtration rate. CKD-EPIscysc, Filler, and Cockrofi-Gault formulas have more guiding signi-ficance for the adjustment of HDMTX chemotherapy in pre-adolescence in children with ALL when sGFR ≤85 ml/min.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Male , Child , Child, Preschool , Glomerular Filtration Rate , Methotrexate , Creatinine , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/diagnosisABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the etiological diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis. Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of patients with PD-related peritonitis who were treated and underwent microbial cultivation and mNGS test at the same time from June 2020 to July 2021 in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University were analyzed. The positive rate, detection time and consistency between mNGS test and traditional microbial culture were compared. Results: A total of 18 patients with age of (50.4±15.4) years old and median dialysis time of 34.0 (12.4, 62.0) months were enrolled in the study, including 11 males and 7 females. Pathogenic microorganisms were isolated in 17 patients by mNGS test, with a positive rate of 17/18, which was higher than 13/18 of microbial culture, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.219). Both mNGS test and microbial culture isolated positive pathogenic bacteria in 12 patients, and mNGS test isolated the same types of pathogenic bacteria as microbial cultivation did in 11 patients. In five patients with negative microbial culture, mNGS test also isolated pathogenic microorganisms, including 3 cases of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 1 case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 1 case of Ureaplasma urealyticum. In 1 patient, microbial culture isolated pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli) whereas mNGS test did not. The detection time of mNGS was 25.0 (24.0, 27.0) h, which was significantly shorter than 89.0 (72.8, 122.0) h of microbial culture (Z=3.726, P<0.001). Conclusions: mNGS test can improve the detection rate of pathogenic microorganisms in PD-related peritonitis and greatly shorten the detection time, and has good consistency with microbial culture. mNGS may provide a new approach for pathogen identification of PD-related peritonitis, especially refractory peritonitis.
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Female , Male , Humans , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Retrospective Studies , Peritoneal Dialysis/adverse effects , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing , Peritonitis/diagnosis , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells play an irreplaceable role in biopharmaceuticals because the cells can be adapted to grow in suspension cultures and are capable of producing high quality biologics exhibiting human-like post-translational modifications. However, gene expression regulation such as transgene silencing and epigenetic modifications may reduce the recombinant protein production due to the decrease of expression stability of CHO cells. This paper summarized the role of epigenetic modifications in CHO cells, including DNA methylation, histone modification and miRNA, as well as their effects on gene expression regulation.
Subject(s)
Cricetinae , Animals , Humans , Cricetulus , CHO Cells , Epigenesis, Genetic/genetics , DNA Methylation , Gene Expression Regulation , Recombinant Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the association between the urinary arsenic level and serum total testosterone in Chinese men aged 18 to 79 years. Methods: A total of 5 048 male participants aged 18 to 79 years were recruited from the China National Human Biomonitoring (CNHBM) from 2017 to 2018. Questionnaires and physical examinations were used to collect information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, food intake frequency and health status. Venous blood and urine samples were collected to detect the level of serum total testosterone, urine arsenic and urine creatinine. Participants were divided into three groups (low, middle, and high) based on the tertiles of creatinine-adjusted urine arsenic concentration. Weighted multiple linear regression was fitted to analyze the association of urinary arsenic with serum total testosterone. Results: The weighted average age of 5 048 Chinese men was (46.72±0.40) years. Geometric mean concentration (95%CI) of urinary arsenic, creatinine-adjusted urine arsenic and serum testosterone was 22.46 (20.08, 25.12) μg/L, 19.36 (16.92, 22.15) μg/L and 18.13 (17.42, 18.85) nmol/L, respectively. After controlling for covariates, compared with the low-level urinary arsenic group, the testosterone level of the participants in the middle-level group and the high-level group decreased gradually. The percentile ratio (95%CI) was -5.17% (-13.14%, 3.54%) and -10.33% (-15.68%, -4.63). The subgroup analysis showed that the association between the urinary arsenic level and testosterone level was more obvious in the group with BMI<24 kg/m2 group (Pinteraction<0.05). Conclusion: There is a negative association between the urinary arsenic level and serum total testosterone in Chinese men aged 18-79 years.
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Objective: To investigate the association between the urinary arsenic level and serum total testosterone in Chinese men aged 18 to 79 years. Methods: A total of 5 048 male participants aged 18 to 79 years were recruited from the China National Human Biomonitoring (CNHBM) from 2017 to 2018. Questionnaires and physical examinations were used to collect information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, food intake frequency and health status. Venous blood and urine samples were collected to detect the level of serum total testosterone, urinary arsenic and urinary creatinine. Participants were divided into three groups (low, middle, and high) based on the tertiles of creatinine-adjusted urinary arsenic concentration. Weighted multiple linear regression was fitted to analyze the association of urinary arsenic with serum total testosterone. Results: The weighted average age of 5 048 Chinese men was (46.72±0.40) years. Geometric mean concentration (95%CI) of urinary arsenic, creatinine-adjusted urinary arsenic and serum testosterone was 22.46 (20.08, 25.12) μg/L, 19.36 (16.92, 22.15) μg/g·Cr and 18.13 (17.42, 18.85) nmol/L, respectively. After controlling for covariates, compared with the low-level urinary arsenic group, the testosterone level of the participants in the middle-level group and the high-level group decreased gradually. The percentile ratio (95%CI) was -5.17% (-13.14%, 3.54%) and -10.33% (-15.68%, -4.63). The subgroup analysis showed that the association between the urinary arsenic level and testosterone level was more obvious in the group with BMI<24 kg/m2 group (Pinteraction=0.023). Conclusion: There is a negative association between the urinary arsenic level and serum total testosterone in Chinese men aged 18 to 79 years.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Adolescent , Young Adult , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Arsenic/urine , Creatinine , East Asian People , Testosterone/blood , UrinalysisABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the dynamic change of fatty liver (FL) in patients with fatty liver-related acute pancreatitis (FLAP) and related influencing factors. Methods A total of 136 FLAP patients who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, from December 2017 to December 2021 were enrolled as subjects. With the first CT examination after admission as the starting point and the last CT examination before discharge as the ending point, the subjects were divided into FL aggravation group (FLAG group), FL mild mitigation group (FLMMG group), and FL significant mitigation group (FLSMG group) according to the degree of change in FL. General information and clinical data were compared between groups. General information included age, sex, length of hospital stay, etiology of acute pancreatitis (AP), and changes in body weight and temperature, and clinical data included treatment modality and the changes in laboratory markers and AP severity. The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction was used for further comparison between two groups. Dynamic changes of data were expressed as the difference from the starting point to the ending point, and a covariance analysis was used for comparison of data with dynamic changes. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of indices with significant changes with the degree of change in FL. Results Among the 136 FLAP patients, 61 achieved mild mitigation of FL, 59 achieved significant mitigation of FL, and 16 experienced aggravation of FL at the ending point of the study. There were significant differences between the three groups in the length of hospital stay ( χ 2 =16.215, P < 0.001) and the change in body weight ( F =3.908, P < 0.05), and the FLSMG group had a greater reduction in body weight and a longer length of hospital stay. There were also significant differences between the three groups in the number of fasting days ( χ 2 =11.020, P =0.004) and the degree of changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) ( F =8.589, P < 0.001), white blood cell count (WBC) ( F =5.448, P =0.005), and CT severity index (CTSI) ( F =7.544, P =0.001), and the FLSMG group had greater reductions in CRP, WBC, and CTSI and a longer duration of fasting. Length of hospital stay, number of fasting days, and changes in CRP and CTSI were significantly correlated with the change in FL ( r =0.352, 0.372, -0.365, and -0.350, all P < 0.001). Conclusion Most FLAP patients tend to have mitigation of FL, and its dynamic changes are closely associated with the changes in CRP and CTSI.
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@#Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (XVATS) and conventional intercostal VATS (CVATS) extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG). Methods The clinical data of MG patients who underwent extended thymectomy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Xuzhou Central Hospital from October 2016 to October 2021 and finished the follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. They were divided into an XVATS group and a CVATS group according to the procedure. The perioperative variables and clinical efficacy of the two groups were compared. Results A total of 84 patients were collected, including 43 males and 41 females, with a mean age of 52.3 years. There were 41 patients in the XVATS group and 43 patients in the CVATS group. There was no mortality, cardiopulmonary thrombosis, prolonged air leak, or mediastinal infection. Additionally, the CVATS group recorded 5 (11.6%) patients of conversion to open thoracotomy, 1 (2.3%) patient of postoperative MG crisis, 1 (2.3%) patient of bleeding in thorax, and 1 (2.3%) patient of chylothorax. The operation time (127.4±50.4 min vs. 122.9±38.6 min), intraoperative bleeding [46.9 (25.7, 79.2) mL vs. 45.7 (21.9, 92.1) mL], incidence of complications [0 vs. 7.0% (3/43)], chest tube duration (4.3±1.9 d vs. 4.8±2.8 d), follow-up time (19.1±8.5 months vs. 22.5±13.7 months), the proportion of residual mediastinal fat tissue [12.2% (5/41) vs. 4.7% (2/43)], and total MG remission rate [29.3% (12/41) vs. 51.2% (22/43)] were not statistically different between the two groups (P>0.05). However, the two groups showed significantly different incidence of conversion to open thoracotomy [0 vs. 11.6% (5/43), P=0.024], postoperative hospital stay time (8.2±3.3 d vs. 11.4±5.8 d, P=0.003) and total drainage volume [396.7 (173.8, 542.5) mL vs. 218.8 (102.1, 430.0) mL, P=0.038]. Conclusion XVATS extended thymectomy is technically safe and feasible; however, more evidence is warranted before the recommendation of this approach for the treatment of MG.
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Objective:To study the characteristics of vaginal microbiota in pregnant women with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and to establish prediction models for PROM.Methods:This study involved 35 women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), 180 with term premature rupture of membranes (TPROM) and 255 term birth cases without premature rupture of membranes (TBWPROM, control group). The V3-V4 hypervariable region sequences in the vaginal samples collected at 16-28 weeks of gestation were detected by 16S rRNA gene next-generation sequencing. The differences in Alpha and Beta diversity, and the attributes and metabolic function prediction of each recognized species among the three groups were analyzed. Subsequently, a random forest model was used to establish the prediction models for PROM using vaginal microbiota species and environmental risk factors.Results:Compared with the control group, the Alpha diversity of the PPROM group was higher (Observed features, P=0.022; Faith_pd index, P=0.024) and Beta diversity was also significantly different (Unweighted UniFrac, P=0.010; Jaccard index, P=0.008). In PPROM cases, Megasphaera genomosp. typeⅠ was significantly increased ( P=0.017) and Lactobacillus mulieris was significantly decreased ( P=0.003). In the patients with TPROM, Megasphaera was significantly increased ( P=0.009) and Lactobacillus mulieris was significantly decreased ( P=0.002). In terms of functional pathways, sulfur oxidation ( P=0.021), methanogenesis from acetate ( P=0.036), L-histidine biosynthesis ( P=0.009), adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis ( P=0.041) and fucose degradation ( P=0.001) were significantly increased in patients with PPROM; L-histidine biosynthesis ( P<0.001) and fucose degradation ( P=0.030) were significantly increased in patients with TPROM. The prediction models were established using the random forest model with vaginal microbiota species and environmental risk factors and the prediction model for PPROM performed well [AUC: 0.739 (95%CI: 0.609-0.869), sensitivity: 0.928, specificity: 0.659, positive predictive value: 0.750, negative predictive value: 0.906], which had a certain reference value. Conclusions:Vaginal microbiota might be related to the development and progression of PROM. Studying the differences in vaginal microbiota might provide a new idea for the prevention and treatment of PROM. Functional prediction provided a direction for further research on the mechanism of PROM. The established prediction model could prevent the occurrence of PPROM and promote maternal and infant health.
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Objective:To explore the etiological diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis.Methods:The study was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of patients with PD-related peritonitis who were treated and underwent microbial cultivation and mNGS test at the same time from June 2020 to July 2021 in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University were analyzed. The positive rate, detection time and consistency between mNGS test and traditional microbial culture were compared.Results:A total of 18 patients with age of (50.4±15.4) years old and median dialysis time of 34.0 (12.4, 62.0) months were enrolled in the study, including 11 males and 7 females. Pathogenic microorganisms were isolated in 17 patients by mNGS test, with a positive rate of 17/18, which was higher than 13/18 of microbial culture, but the difference was not statistically significant ( P=0.219). Both mNGS test and microbial culture isolated positive pathogenic bacteria in 12 patients, and mNGS test isolated the same types of pathogenic bacteria as microbial cultivation did in 11 patients. In five patients with negative microbial culture, mNGS test also isolated pathogenic microorganisms, including 3 cases of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 1 case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 1 case of Ureaplasma urealyticum. In 1 patient, microbial culture isolated pathogenic bacteria ( Escherichia coli) whereas mNGS test did not. The detection time of mNGS was 25.0 (24.0, 27.0) h, which was significantly shorter than 89.0 (72.8, 122.0) h of microbial culture ( Z=3.726, P<0.001). Conclusions:mNGS test can improve the detection rate of pathogenic microorganisms in PD-related peritonitis and greatly shorten the detection time, and has good consistency with microbial culture. mNGS may provide a new approach for pathogen identification of PD-related peritonitis, especially refractory peritonitis.
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Objective:To investigate the effect of the interaction between metabolic syndrome and smoking on the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events.Methods:Urban residents aged 40 and above in the Yunyan District of Guiyang City were selected from " Risk Evaluation of cAncers in Chinese diabeTic Individuals: A lONgitudinal(REACTION) Study". The baseline survey started in 2011 and general information including gender, age, medical history, lifestyle habits, and smoking status were collected. Additionally, biochemical indicators related to metabolic syndrome(MS) were measured. The study participants were then followed up, and the first cardiovascular events occurring after the initial survey were recorded. The average follow-up period was 10.07±1.49 years. The interaction between metabolic syndrome and smoking on subsequent cardiovascular events was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models.Results:The study included a total of 7 275 individuals, among whom 639 experienced cardiovascular events. After adjusting for multiple variables, compared to non-smokers without metabolic syndrome(MS), smokers with MS showed a higher risk of cardiovascular events, with a hazard ratio( HR) of 6.54(95% CI 4.88, 8.78). This risk was higher than that of individuals with MS who never smoked [ HR 1.39(95% CI 1.11, 1.75)] and non-MS smokers [ HR 2.48(95% CI 1.77, 3.49)]. There was an additive interaction between MS and smoking on the occurrence of cardiovascular events, with a relative excess risk due to interaction(RERI) of 3.30(95% CI 1.89, 4.70), an attributable proportion(AP) of 0.55(95% CI 0.43, 0.59), and a synergy index(S) of 3.07(95% CI 1.94, 4.84). Furthermore, when stratifying the duration of smoking cessation, long-term quitters(≥8 years) showed a lower risk of cardiovascular events compared to current smokers, regardless of whether they had MS. The hazard ratios were 0.45(95% CI 0.26, 0.78) for individuals with MS and 0.42(95% CI 0.19, 0.95) for individuals without MS. Conclusions:There is an additive interaction between smoking and MS on the risk of cardiovascular events. The coexistence of both factors significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular events.
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Objective:To explore whether metabolically healthy obesity(MHO) is a healthy state by observing the incidence of metabolic syndrome(MS) including its components and cardiovascular disease(CVD) in this population.Methods:In 2011, a cohort of 10 140 residents aged 40-79 years old was selected with cluster sampling in the Guiyang urban area. Fasting plasma glucose(FPG), blood lipids, and blood pressure were examined to assess their metabolic status. Height and weight were also measured. Among them, 1 299 metabolically healthy subjects were divided into 3 groups according to body mass index, namely metabolically healthy normal weight(MHNW), metabolically healthy overweight(MHOW), and MHO. Three groups were reassembled in 2014, and finally a total of 966 subjects with baseline and complete follow-up data were included in the analysis. The relationship between MS and its components, and the incidence of CVD were compared among the three groups.Results:(1) After an average follow-up of 3 years, 47.77% of the MHO population transformed into a metabolically unhealthy state. There was no significant difference in the incidence of MS components among the three groups( P>0.05), but there was a significant difference in the incidence of MS( P<0.05); (2) There was no significant difference in the incidence of CVD among the three groups after 3 years of follow-up. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of CVD in the three groups. Taking the MHNW as the control group, after adjusting for age, gender, FPG, blood lipids, and blood pressure, the risk ratio of the MHOW group was 0.941(0.661-1.202), and MHO group was 0.974(0.702-1.291). Conclusions:After 3 years of follow-up, although the risk of CVD in the MHO population did not increase significantly, the incidences of MS, triglycerides, and FPG abnormality increased compared with the normal people, suggesting that the MHO is not a " stable" healthy state.
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Objective:To explore the added value of T 1-weighted stack-of-stars volumetric interpolated body examination (StarVIBE) sequence on PET/MR image quality. Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 60 patients (42 males, 18 females; age 11-86 (58±12) years) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/MR examination and with positive PET results in Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from April 2020 to April 2021. All patients completed StarVIBE sequence collection, and volumetric interpolated body examination (VIBE) sequence was used as control. StarVIBE and VIBE sequence images were evaluated independently using five-point method by two physicians. The evaluation was carried out from six aspects: lesion display, lesion boundary display, vascular around lesions display, fusion level with PET image, image artifact and overall image quality. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the image quality of the two sequences, and Kappa test was performed to assess the consistency of the image quality scores between the two physicians. Results:There were 26 cases with cervical lesions, 14 cases with chest lesions, 7 cases with abdomen lesions and 13 cases with pelvic lesions. The scores of lesion display (4.0(3.8, 4.5) vs 3.5(3.0, 4.0)), lesion boundary display (4.0(4.0, 4.0) vs 3.0(3.0, 3.5)), vascular around lesions display (5.0(4.0, 5.0) vs 4.0(3.5, 4.5)), fusion level with PET image (5.0(5.0, 5.0) vs 4.5(4.0, 5.0)), image artifact (4.5(4.0, 5.0) vs 4.5(4.0, 5.0)) and overall image quality (5.0(4.0, 5.0) vs 4.0(4.0, 4.0)) of StarVIBE sequences were better than those of VIBE sequences ( z values: 3.77-6.54, all P<0.001). On the vascular around the lesions display, the scores of StarVIBE were significantly better than those of VIBE sequence in the neck (5.0(4.5, 5.0) vs 3.0(2.7, 3.5); z=4.49, P<0.001) and chest (4.5(4.3, 4.7) vs 4.0(3.6, 4.3); z=3.10, P=0.002). As for image quality, the scores of StarVIBE were also significantly better than those of VIBE in neck (5.0(4.5, 5.0) vs 4.0(3.7, 4.5); z=4.36, P<0.001) and chest (5.0(5.0, 5.0) vs 4.0(4.0, 4.5); z=3.02, P=0.003). In abdominal lesions, the score of StarVIBE was higher than that of VIBE in blood vessels (4.5(3.5, 5.0) vs 4.0(3.5, 4.5); z=2.07, P=0.038), and there was no difference between score of overall image quality (4.0(3.7, 4.5) vs 4.0(3.5, 4.5); z=0.27, P=0.785). The score of overall image quality of pelvic StarVIBE sequence was better than that of VIBE sequence (5.0(4.5, 5.0) vs 4.0(4.0, 4.5); z=2.12, P=0.034). Kappa value of image quality score between two physicians was 0.554, indicating moderate consistency. Conclusion:In whole-body PET/MR imaging, StarVIBE sequence can significantly improve the image quality of cervical, thoracic and pelvic lesions when comparing with VIBE sequence.
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Objective:To investigate the past continuing medical education (CME) in pediatrics for general practitioners in community health centers in Longhua District, Shenzhen, so as to explore the willingness, needs and suggestions of general practitioners for CME in pediatrics.Methods:A mixed methods research were used in this study. Firstly, the purpose sampling method was used to select general practitioners in community health centers in Longhua District, Shenzhen for personal in-depth interviews. The interview contents were recorded and transcribed. The interview contents were coded by NVivo software. Theme frame analysis method was used for data sorting and theme extraction. Based on the results of qualitative interviews, the questionnaire was developed and distributed through the electronic questionnaire platform, and relevant questionnaire data were analyzed by Excel.Results:The results of qualitative research showed that after personal in-depth interviews with 10 general practitioners, the information reached saturation. Through repeated reading, induction and analysis of the interview data, four themes were extracted: ① previous pediatric training opportunities and satisfaction; ② willingness to participate in pediatric training; ③ the demand of training content, form and duration; ④ measures to encourage participation in training. In terms of quantitative research results, a total of 223 electronic questionnaires were collected, among which there were 219 valid questionnaires. Besides, 150 (68.5%) general practitioners said that they had no or only a few training opportunities in pediatrics CME in the past. There were some problems in the past CME training, such as unsystematic training (39 practitioners, 66.1%), narrow course coverage (30 practitioners, 50.8%), the content divorced from clinical practice (29 practitioners, 49.2%), monotonous teaching method (27 practitioners, 45.8%), etc. And 210 (95.9%) general practitioners were willing to participate in pediatric training, and 161 (73.5%) hoped that the form of training would be a combination of online and offline. In terms of pediatrics specialty content training needs, the general practitioners had higher demand for respiratory (188 practitioners, 85.8%), digestive (160 practitioners, 73.1%), infectious (145 practitioners, 66.2%) and dermatology (136 practitioners, 62.1%) specialty.Conclusion:There are still some problems in pediatrics CME, such as few training opportunities, unsystematic training, etc. In the future, we need to formulate systematic training plans and incentive measures according to the needs of general practitioners, to strengthen the pediatric professional training for general practitioners and improve their ability to receive children, in order to promote the implementation of hierarchical medical system for children.
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OBJECTIVES@#To compare the application effect of microwave digestion - vacuum filtration - automated scanning electron microscopy (MD-VF-Auto SEM) method and plankton gene multiplex PCR system in the diagnosis of drowning.@*METHODS@#Lung, liver and kidney tissue of 10 non-drowning cases and 50 drowning cases were prepared for further MD-VF-Auto SEM method analysis and plankton gene multiplex PCR system analysis. The positive detection rate of the two methods in each tissue was calculated.@*RESULTS@#The positive rate of the MD-VF-Auto SEM method detecting diatoms in drowning cases was 100%, and few diatoms were detected in the liver and kidney tissues of 6 non-drowning cases. By using the plankton gene multiplex PCR system, the diatom positive rate of drowning cases was 84%, and all the non-drowning cases were negative. There were significant differences in the positive rate of the liver, kidney tissues between MD-VF-Auto SEM method and plankton gene multiplex PCR system (P<0.05), as well as the total positive rate of cases. However, no significant differences were found in the positive rates of lung tissues (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#MD-VF-Auto SEM method is more sensitive than plankton gene multiplex PCR system in diatom test. But the plankton gene multiplex PCR system can also detect plankton other than diatoms. Combination of the two methods can provide a more reliable basis for the diagnosis of drowning.